Chapter 146: Focus Fire!

"It actually looks quite powerful."

Luo Yong held a blue crystal in each of his hands, which were now resonating with the two figures suspended in mid-air.

"Give me that thing!" Umbrella roared, lunging forward to attack.

"If you want to get the Eye of the Wizard, you'll have to get past me first!" Gaia shifted her position and blocked her path in a flash.

"Do you think you can stop me?" Umbrella sneered. The human heroes under her control on the ground, along with the monsters that were no longer berserk, all howled and surged toward Luo Yong.

"Pfft..."

For some reason, seeing this scene made Luo Yong chuckle rather maliciously.

This was practically just switching locations to grind mobs!

He had just been complaining that the previous area didn't have enough monsters.

Even though among those charging forward were some human figures who might be innocent, anyone who grew soft-hearted at a time like this would be a fool.

Although Luo Yong didn't consider himself particularly brilliant or leagues smarter than anyone else, he was definitely not a soft-hearted person.

Swish!

With a wave of his hand, he pointed at the two figures lying on the ground.

The Empress appeared soundlessly, unleashing a barrage of arrow rain that instantly turned the monsters at the front into stone.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Luo Yong used Blink and rescued both Fiona and the other person.

"Holy Light Domain!"

Following the Empress, the Guardian of Holy Light was summoned, erecting a defensive barrier.

"Oh? Two magical energy puppets?" Umbrella looked down at Luo Yong, snorted, and said, "Do you think this can stop an endless tide of monsters?"

"Naive."

Luo Yong flipped her the middle finger while simultaneously summoning Big Sister Gatling, Miss Cannon Barrel, the Magical Girl, the Peerless Swordmaster, and the Snake Queen.

"There are actually... seven magical energy puppets..."

"Such a large number..."

The two women named Rila each uttered a sentence, then exchanged glances, different expressions dawning on their faces.

"Shall we continue this?" Gaia said indifferently. "Stalemate is meaningless. The side of evil will ultimately fall!"

"Save your archaic rhetoric! Victory will belong to me!" Umbrella waved both hands, exerting all her strength to pull the two crystals near Luo Yong toward herself.

"Hey! If you want to lure mobs, do it properly and stop pulling these weird stunts. Do you really think I won't just smash this crystal?!" Luo Yong picked up a brick-like stone from the ground and brandished it, threatening to shatter the [Eye of the Wizard].

"No!"

Umbrella had lost count of how many times she had shouted that word, but the outcome was always unsatisfactory.

"Stupid human, if you dare to destroy the [Eye of the Wizard], I will kill you! And everyone connected to you!"

"I hate being threatened the most!" Luo Yong felt a surge of annoyance. What was he working so hard to kill monsters and level up for anyway?

On a smaller scale, it was for personal happiness—to revive the Elven Yu-oh-rei, Yan Bao'er.

On a larger scale, it was for the elven race, for the departed Queen Loya, for the Tree of Life, for the World Tree, and above all, for every living creature surviving in this vast universe!

Yet—

This dead woman who had popped up out of nowhere was willing to drive him to a dead end just for her own selfish desires!

"I'm going to smash it anyway, bite me if you dare!"

Furious, Luo Yong brought the stone down hard in his hand—

Crack!

A spiderweb of cracks appeared across one of the blue crystals.

"Huh, seems pretty sturdy after all, didn't break on the first hit..." Luo Yong glanced toward Umbrella, a fierce smile on his face. "Let's try again!"

CRACK!!

This time, the cracks on the crystal multiplied, and anomalous energy began to leak out, dissipating into the air.

At this rate, it was only one brick-width away from complete destruction.

"Stop! Ignorant and foolish human, what have you done?!" Umbrella roared in fury, magic surging around her, wishing she could tear Luo Yong to shreds right then and there.

"You're the ignorant and foolish one! Thinking you're amazing just because you stand high up—you're nothing more than a bird-person!" Luo Yong retorted without hesitation, simultaneously firing a Wind Blade toward her.

Ever since he had concealed his true identity, Luo Yong had stopped using the magic he learned previously, but at this moment, he simply couldn't hold back.

If he didn't throw a couple of punches himself, he wouldn't feel avenged.

"Come on, make more monsters pour out!"

The magical energy puppets summoned by Luo Yong coordinated closely between ranged and close combat, forming combat squads that attacked in shifts with staggered timing. Through a series of fierce bombardments, they held their ground against wave after wave of lunging monsters.

"A one-man army, corps-style warfare..." Umbrella witnessed all of this with her own eyes. Her gaze fell on Fiona standing beside Luo Yong, and she said thoughtfully, "You must be the captain the little girl spoke of?"

"I never wanted to team up with anyone in the first place, nor was there any need..." Luo Yong said emotionlessly.

Meanwhile, Fiona, who had finally recovered somewhat, unconsciously murmured:

"Captain..."

"It's truly astonishing. I have a feeling that the wealth you possess might rival the treasures left behind by the ancient wizards!" Umbrella suddenly remarked.

"I can stand here and grind mobs for a long time, but I don't want to listen to your nonsense," Luo Yong said.

"Wake up, Umbrella. The treasure you care about is nothing more than a crystal to be smashed at will by others!" Gaia said.

"That's just an excuse you use to justify such foolish behavior!" Umbrella grinned hideously. "Don't think I don't know—you're just buying time! But as it happens, so am I!"

With that, blue crystals began to emerge over Umbrella's body, clicking and clacking as they formed a layer of armor around her.

In her hands, two long blades materialized.

"There has long been a legend in the world that [true mages are all close-combat fighters]! Even the ancient wizards who passed away countless ages ago were reportedly adept at melee combat."

Umbrella casually swung the twin blades in her hands, looking both pleased and pleasantly surprised as she said, "Gaia, want to try the thrill of close-quarters combat?"

"It must be hard for you, little An." Gaia slowly extended her right hand, condensing a ball of light in her palm that gradually transformed into a half-person-tall battle staff. It bore unique textures, engraved with powerful magic arrays, and featured exquisite decorations, resembling a rare piece of art.

"As a manipulation-type mage, you rarely get the chance for melee combat, do you? No matter how much you express disdain with your words, you still yearn for it deep down."

"However, there are some things you don't know—not even he knows..."

At this point, Gaia glanced toward Dominic Alex in the corner. He had already regained consciousness and was now looking at the two women in mid-air with a complex expression.

"What is it that even I don't know?" Dominic Alex asked.

"It's nothing. Just that before becoming a true mage, I used to be an excellent warrior!" A nostalgic look appeared on Gaia's face before she smiled faintly and said, "More excellent than you."

"..."

For some reason, Dominic Alex felt as though he had taken an arrow straight to the chest.

"Who are you trying to scare? Gaia, if you have the guts, come and test the power of these twin blades, otherwise get the hell out of my way—"

Just as Umbrella said this, she suddenly realized that the other person had vanished from her sight!

In an instant, her eyes widened in utter disbelief, followed immediately by a tremendous force slamming into her body.

Thwack!

Gaia abruptly materialized behind Umbrella and kicked her flying with a single blow.

Boom!

Umbrella's body once again made intimate contact with the great hall's wall, sinking entirely into it—much deeper than before.

"No!!!"

Umbrella wriggled her body in rage, her overwhelming strength cracking the wall apart. She broke free from the utterly ruined humanoid crater, brandishing her twin blades in fury!

"I don't believe it! Gaia, you cannot possibly be stronger than me!"

"Is that so?"

Gaia stood right where the other woman had been standing and said indifferently, "I only used thirty percent of my power just now. I can move faster, and my strength can be even greater..."

Swish!

While she was speaking, Umbrella charged forward at extreme speed—a speed that ordinary heroes could no longer keep up with.

As she closed in, she raised her twin blades high and brought them sweeping down directly toward Gaia, who was still speaking!

However, faster than her was her opponent's figure. What had been some distance away instantly closed into a face-to-face proximity, as if they were plastered against each other.

It seemed...

As if the two of them had never been this close before!

Close enough to clearly see each other's expressions and feel each other's breath!

Smack!

A punch!

Gaia struck Umbrella in the abdomen, sending her flying once more to embed herself into the wall—this time even deeper than before.

"I can do this all day."

"Huh?"

Luo Yong, who had been watching the show, suddenly felt a powerful gravitational pull attempting not only to snatch the last remaining blue crystal from his hand, but to suck him in as well.

"Hmph!"

With a soft snort, the Empress charged upward, forming the shape of a heart toward Umbrella's location. A massive pink heart exploded directly above the great hall, and pink energy surged along the gravitational pull toward her target.

Immediately afterward, the Empress drew another heart, pulling out a massive volley of pink arrows that blanketed the area where Umbrella was located.

"It's useless! No matter how you struggle, it's useless!" Umbrella's figure appeared in another direction, mingling among the monsters as she lunged toward Luo Yong.

"Focus fire!" the Empress commanded, and all the magical energy puppets unleashed their attacks toward a single target.

Several cannon shells, countless magical bullets, rays of death-black light, endless sword auras, and the Annihilation Light—which had just finished its incantation cycle—all struck Umbrella simultaneously.